Storage 24 Blu-ray Review

"Storage 24" presents a commendable 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode on Blu-ray that stays faithful to its digital roots and production design. Shot with Arri Alexa cameras, the film's inherent aesthetic leans towards a deliberate low-budget look, likely to complement its plot and atmosphere. Despite this, the technical quality of the Blu-ray transfer shines through. Many scenes, bathed in darkness, exhibit minimal noise even from normal viewing distances, indicating skillful color grading and lighting choices. The transfer avoids common pitfalls like edge enhancement, DNR, and compression issues, ensuring clarity is maintained throughout.

The color palette predominantly favors a teal-and-orange aesthetic with a pronounced yellow push, which may not be universally appealing but aligns with the filmmakers' vision. Contrast is generally on the subdued side of the grayscale, adding to the film’s gloomy and overcast ambiance. However, black levels are impressively deep, essential given the film’s myriad dark scenes. This depth in shadows enhances background clarity and adds strong dimensionality to the images. Details, especially in close-ups, are sharp and lifelike, revealing intricate textures in both skin and clothing, while the alien's body is rendered with unsettling precision.

Though there are occasional instances of banding and posterization, potentially a byproduct of HD filming, such occurrences are infrequent and do not detract significantly from the overall presentation. In sum, the Blu-ray transfer of "Storage 24" offers an excellent, albeit stylistically constrained, visual experience that meets the filmmakers' intent and provides a clear and engaging viewing experience in high definition.

The Blu-ray of "Storage 24" is an impressive example of how strong audio design can enhance a low-budget production. Featuring a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, the film's audio presentation is both immersive and meticulously detailed. Creature noises, ranging from throaty growls to disconcerting screeches, convey an unsettling presence, while the movements of the alien are captured with a creepy-crawly precision. Background ambiances such as drips of rain, crackling fire, and explosive moments are rendered with excellent clarity and robust dynamic heft. Although the rear channels are not perpetually active, they provide significant support for the front speakers during more intense action sequences, creating a highly engaging surround experience.

The film's sound mix is enlivened by its effective use of silence and ambient effects within its storage building setting. This minimalist approach adds a layer of subtle eeriness, allowing moments when the rear channels depict the creature's movement to stand out vividly. Each sound is delivered with superb directionality and crystal-clear precision, allowing the alien to traverse seamlessly across the room. Dialogue remains consistently intelligible and precisely rendered, even amidst the loudest sequences. The front-centric mix achieves excellent channel separation, resulting in a wide and spacious soundstage. While the low bass may not offer as powerful an impact as some might expect, it still provides a healthy oomph during action-packed scenes. Overall, this high-resolution audio track delivers an extraordinarily enjoyable listening experience. The disc also includes optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for added accessibility.

The Blu-ray extras for "Storage 24" offer a comprehensive dive into the film's production, providing a broad range of behind-the-scenes content. The Audio Commentary features Director Johannes Roberts and star/co-writer Noel Clarke, though it delivers as a standard run-through of production insights and can be considered optional. The Behind the Scenes Featurettes, spanning four distinct segments, delve into creature development, costume design, sound design, and set construction, enriched with extensive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Video Blogs capture brief, informal interviews with cast members Noel Clarke, Laura Haddock, and Antonia Campbell-Hughes during production. A Day in the Life offers a candid look at a day on set with Noel Clarke and Colin O'Donoghue. Additional content includes scene-specific commentaries, deleted scenes, a still gallery set to music, and an assortment of promotional materials.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary with Noel Clarke and Director Johannes Roberts: Standard commentary on production.
• Behind the Scenes Featurettes: Four-part making-of documentary.
• Video Blogs: Informal cast interviews during production.
• A Day in the Life: Follows Noel Clarke and Colin O'Donoghue on set.
• Scene Commentaries: Cast introduces specific scenes.
• Deleted Scenes: Collection of six removed or extended scenes.
• Photo Reel: Slideshow gallery with intense music.
• Teasers/Promos: Assorted promotional materials.
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer: Official trailer.
• Also from Magnolia Home Entertainment: Compilation of additional previews.

"Storage 24" effectively merges classic science-fiction horror elements with low-budget charm, though it may not appeal to all. Utilizing a self-storage facility as the setting evokes an immersive claustrophobic ambiance, courtesy of director Johannes Roberts' adept use of space. The film boasts practical effects and an impressive rubber-suited alien, adding a tangible dread absent in many CGI-laden productions. Despite some cringe-inducing digital elements, the monster design and gore—highlighted by a torn-off face and an eviscerated torso—are commendable for this production tier. However, the movie's serious tone and forgettable character drama undermine the overall experience.

The plot, intertwining a creature-on-the-loose narrative with interpersonal conflict, harkens to genre classics like "Alien" and newer thrillers like "Super 8". When a military plane crashes, releasing an extraterrestrial into a storage facility, the stage is set for suspense and chaos. Noel Clarke stars as Charlie, entangled in post-breakup tension while battling the predator. Yet the character dynamics, including cliched and melodramatic elements, fail to engage fully. Scenes like the attack using a toy dog strapped with fireworks attempt humor but fall flat, detracting from potential thrills.

The film’s slower pace, hampered further by recurring moments of relationship tumult, dilutes its terror and excitement. Though some sequences exhibit gleeful derangement, the overarching narrative suffers from subdued execution and a noticeable patriarchal bias. Women characters often serve roles as objects or distressed damsels needing male rescue, which might alienate part of the audience. While "Storage 24" provides a few genuinely suspenseful moments and appreciable practical effects, its convoluted blend of personal drama and sci-fi horror struggles to maintain momentum. For genre aficionados, it offers minor gems amidst recycled tropes but lacks the intensity and innovation to stand out.

"Storage 24," directed by Johannes Roberts, is a creature-feature that struggles to maintain momentum despite a premise with potential. Set in a maze-like self-storage facility, Roberts effectively uses the winding corridors to build tension. However, the film's sluggish pacing and a problematic core plot leave it a forgettable entry in the sci-fi horror genre. The film picks up somewhat in the second half, but by then, the overall experience remains underwhelming.

In technical terms, Magnet's Blu-ray release of "Storage 24" is quite solid. The picture quality is exceptional, with crisp visuals that enhance the atmosphere of the confined setting. The audio presentation is equally enjoyable, providing a clear and immersive experience that complements the film's tense moments. The disc also comes with a variety of supplementary materials, though these extras are relatively short and may not hold much interest for most viewers.

One person's worthless sci-fi knockoff is another's low-budget source of beer-and-a-movie-night hilarity, so consider your expectations before committing to "Storage 24." The film sits in a critical netherworld—it's not great, it's not terrible, and it's not so-bad-it's-good either. It just is. At least it's not another found-footage horror movie—something we can all appreciate. Given the solid technical presentation of the Blu-ray, curious viewers might want to check it out first on a streaming service like Netflix before deciding on a purchase.